


Moving Forward

by SRassier



Series: Five and Dolores sitting in a tree... [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Diego and Melissa are very vanilla, Diego is a softy, F/M, First Time, Five and Delores are a bit kinky, Five is more romantic than he gets credit for, Five loves Delores, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Road Trips, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Surprise Lots of things, Surprise Party, hotel shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SRassier/pseuds/SRassier
Summary: Delores and Melissa get a letter from their father from prison asking them to come see him. He puts them in contact with their maternal grandmother. The four take a road trip and along the way, there is a serious discussion about sex, a few not so serious ones, and Five has a few surprises up his sleeve for his lady love.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Original Female Character(s), Dolores/Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)
Series: Five and Dolores sitting in a tree... [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610194
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> SO, this is a story based in my “Five and Delores Sitting in a Tree” Universe. These stories started out as stand alones, but the plots are starting to kind of intertwine so I'd recommend reading them all (plus I'm proud of them so...please enjoy!)
> 
> Here's a cheat sheet in case you just want to get to the story...
> 
> Delores and her sister, Melissa were born on October 1, 1989. They are identical twins. They were not collected by Reginald Hargreeves. Delores’ power is that she can project her consciousness into other people or objects. She spent the entire apocalypse with Five in the mannequin. Melissa has healing powers.
> 
> Delores, Melissa and the Hargreeves are physically 30 and Five is physically 19 (if you read “Delores’ Story” this would make more sense!)
> 
> Now, they all live in the mansion and I will just be writing fun little family/lovey stuff when I don’t want to write anything too heavy.
> 
> Rated M for language and implied sexy times.

Melissa never denied the fact that she was in the ‘my Dad fucked me up’ club, as Diego so eloquently put it before they started dating. She knew that her inability to speak to most people and her inexperience with, basically everything, was his fault. He was a bastard who manipulated her into being a slave for him while he plotted against her sister for whenever she finally returned home. He traumatized her and she was glad he was in jail.

This is why she stood in shocked silence as she stared at the letter in her hands post marked Sing Sing. She was always conscious of the fact that her father was a mere hour drive away but until seeing a letter addressed to her and her sister written in his unmistakable scrawl, the reality didn’t quite hit home.

She slowly regained the use of her senses and walked at as steady of a pace as she could manage toward where she knew Delores could be found. Her and Klaus had a standing game of Gin Rummy every Thursday that never seemed to end, as the scores in their “Gin Friends Notebook” kept getting higher and higher never reaching a winner.

She stepped into the study to find the pair engaged in their usual game, Five lounging on a nearby couch, reading and Diego sitting next to Klaus, trying to learn the game by watching. He looked up when she came into the room and seeing her pale face, jumped up and met her halfway across the floor. “What’s up, babe?” She smiled at the endearment. They had been dating just about six months now and even though they were moving slower than she had hoped, he had taken to calling her ‘babe’ and she had taken to liking it.

She handed him the letter and as he read the return address, he immediately took her hand in his and started running his thumb across her knuckles. “Shit, are you ok?”  
She looked up at him and said in nearly a whisper, “I can’t.”  
Diego nodded and without letting go of her hand, walked the letter over to the now very interested Delores and held it out for her to take.

Delores looked at the letter and then back to her sister. Melissa nodded and Delores tore open the envelope. She breathed a heavy sigh before reading it out loud for the room.

_Girls,_

_I know I’m the last person on Earth you want to hear from but I ~~wanted~~ needed to write this letter in the hopes that it would convince you to come see your sorry excuse for a father._

_I am a sick man. The doc says it’s cancer, and I don’t have a lot of time left. I know that this information probably makes your day, but I hope that you will be better than me…I know you are._

_I have some information about your grandmother, your Mom’s Mom. I think you deserve to know your family…the good part, not the part you got stuck with. Please come see me and we can talk about it. If you don’t come, I’ll understand. I have left instructions for the information to be mailed to you if I die before you come. I just thought I’d give this a shot._

_~~Love~~ Regards,_

_Dad_

“He’s got to be out of his fucking mind if he thinks you two are going to visit his sorry ass in prison!” Five had made his way to the table and was now sitting next to Delores, his arm around her shoulder.  
“Yeah,” Klaus piped in. “No way in hell.”  
“I can’t believe I’m actually saying this,” Diego muttered. “But I agree with Five and Klaus.  
Delores kept silent but stared at her twin. She didn’t have to jump into her head to know what she was thinking. She could sense it and even though she didn’t agree, she loved Melissa and would do anything for her. “I think we should go.”  
“What?!” Three voices shouted in unison. Melissa smiled the tiniest of smiles. Delores noticed.  
“We are better than him and going to see him proves that.”  
Five pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep calm. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to prove anything to that asshole. What he did to you…to Melissa? Makes Reginald Hargreeves look like Charles Ingles.”  
“Charles Ingles?” Diego asked, confused.  
“From…Little House on the Prairie.” The last few words came out soft and fast. His answer gaining him questioning looks from Diego and Melissa.  
Klaus snickered, “Wow, excellent reference, very up to date.”  
“What?” Five crossed his arms across his chest and pouted. “It’s a good show.”

Diego ignored his brother. “Can we get back to you two wanting to go see that slime ball in prison?”  
“Yeah,” Klaus stood up and sidled up to the other side of Melissa. “He doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.”  
“He was horrible.” Melissa finally broke her silence. In the year since she and Delores came to live with the Hargreeves, the entire household had come to expect her shyness. She barely spoke and when she did it was in a whisper to her sister, to Five or now to Diego. This time, she spoke clear and concise, causing everyone to listen up. “He kept Dee in that awful room with that awful man.” Five tightened his grip on Delores at the mention of the creepy doctor. “And he kept me from a real life. I never got to have fun as a kid. I never got to attend college or go on dates. I only left the house for his errands and even then, if I didn’t get back in his allotted time…I’d get punished. I never talked back or stood up for myself. I didn’t even get to see him get arrested.” She straightened her shoulders and gripped Diego’s hand tighter. “So no, Klaus, he doesn’t deserve our forgiveness, but I deserve to tell him to his face what I think of him.” She looked at Delores and her sister nodded. “So, we’re going.”


	2. Meeting With Dad

A few hours later, Delores, Melissa, and Five walked into the Sing Sing correctional facility and signed in at the visitor’s desk. They were searched and led down a hall into an open room with several tables, some of them already had occupants talking with inmates. They were sat at a table and after a few minutes, the door on the other side opened and a guard brought in their father who was wearing an orange jumpsuit and carrying a manila folder. He shuffled over to where they sat and took a spot on the opposite side of the table.   
“Hi.” He spoke with a timid voice that neither sister remembers him ever having. Delores sat still with her arms crossed in front of her chest, determined not to interact with the man. They were here for Melissa. Melissa, on the other hand looked terrified to speak. Had her father been able to see her hands under the table, he would have seen them shaking. Five did see, so he spoke first. “You have something for them?”  
“Who the hell are you?” His voice still weak, but this time it had a tinge of the anger that Delores remembered from her childhood.  
“You don’t remember me? I’m the one you have to thank for that nice scar on your neck.”  
His hand unconsciously flew to his throat and traced the scar that was left from the scalpel that was lodged in his neck a year ago. “But, you’re…and that was a kid…”  
“Yeah, well your daughter is much more amazing than you give her credit for.” Five turned his head to look at Melissa who was now staring at the table. 

“You did this?” He beamed like a man who just witnessed his child’s first home run. “I knew there was more to your powers! Way to go!”  
“Stop.” Melissa looked up at her father’s face. “Just stop. Stop pretending that you could ever be proud of me. Don’t act like you ever treated me as anything other than a science experiment.”  
He lowered his eyes. “You’re right. I was a terrible father. Hell, I was a terrible man.” He looked back up and Five scoffed at the sight of the old man’s eyes welling up with tears. “I’m not saying that I deserve forgiveness because maybe I don’t, but I do want to try to do something right for you girls before I go.”

When the visiting side of the table stayed silent, he reached down to open the envelope that he had brought. He pulled out some photos and a piece of paper. “Here.” He slid the photos across the first half of the table and pulled back as Five reached out to bring them the rest of the way. “These are some photos of your Mom. I’m in some, so if you don’t want to keep them…I’ll understand. I just thought, because you look so much like she did…you may want them.” 

Five looked at the first photo and saw a young woman with bright red hair, deep emerald eyes and a wicked grin playing across her face and for a moment thought it was a picture of Delores. They really were cut from the same cloth. He tried to hand them to Delores, but she stayed vigilant in her staring contest with the old man and ignored the pictures completely. He instead passed them to Melissa, who thumbed through them as her father continued. “And here is your Grandma’s address and phone number. I’m pretty sure the address is still correct, but the phone may be out of date. It’s your Mom’s mom, and she always hated me, so I figure you’d all have something in common.” He coughed out a slight chuckle and passed the paper over to Five. 

“Five minutes, McKenna!” The Guard in the corner called out and the old man stiffened. “Well, I guess that’s it. I just wanted to see you and tell you that I was sorry…” His voice got even smaller, “…for what it’s worth.”  
“Nothing.” All eyes turned to Delores who finally broke her silence. “It’s worth nothing.” Her lip trembled as she got up and walked back to the visitor’s door and waited for Five and Melissa to follow.   
Melissa stood up next and gathered the photos and paper to put back into the envelope. She started to turn around but suddenly stopped. She looked back at her father and gestured to the papers. “Thanks.” He nodded in response.

As she walked back to meet her sister, Five stayed behind at the table. He stood and leaned as close as the guard watching would allow. “If this is a trap or some kind of a sick joke…” A darkness fell over his eyes and the old man felt a tinge of fear as the young man addressed him. “I will purposely get arrested just so I can get thrown in here and finish what I started when we first met.” He didn’t wait for a response, he just turned on his heel and met the girls at the door. He took Delores’ offered hand and the three of them left, never looking back.


	3. Road Trip!

One lengthy phone call with two very excited women on speaker later, and the twins were ready to go meet their Grandmother. “I say we drive.” Melissa blurted as they hung up the phone. “It’s only a few days and it would be so much fun!”  
“Yeah! Road trip!” Delores’ excitement was only matched by Melissa’s. The two women started talking about snacks to pack and if they should bring a gift for the woman and how they could trade off driving to make the trip easier. Delores sat down at the kitchen table next to Five and sidled up next to him. “Three drivers would be better than two.”  
“No way.” Five took a strange satisfaction in the fact that he made a grown woman pout. “I am not the type of person anyone wants in a car for three days.”  
“Please.” She gently started rubbing her fingers on the inside of his wrist, circling the umbrella that was tattooed there. It was his soft spot and she knew it. “For me?”  
“Damn it.” He huffed  
“He’s in.” Delores told Melissa as Five took his turn to pout.

Just as he was warming to the idea of taking a little vacation from the mansion, Diego strolled in. He made a bee line for Melissa and planted a kiss on her temple as he snaked his arm around her shoulder. “How did it go?”  
“Great! She seems really sweet and we are going to go visit her in about a week.”   
“That’s good news.” Diego was still getting used to having a girlfriend that was known to his family. Patch was a great girl and he really cared for her, but this was different. He liked Melissa but he couldn’t keep her to himself like Eudora. The family knew Melissa and if he wanted to keep her, he had to act like a good boyfriend…even in front of his brothers.  
“We’re going to drive…you know, road trip!”  
Delores stole a side glance at Five as she asked Diego, “you in?” She didn’t have to look at him to know that Five was trying to burn a hole straight through her head with his glare. She just plastered a sweet smile on her face that quickly turned to wicked when Diego said, “Sure!”  
“Then I’m definitely out.” Delores turned to Five and scowled. “You want me and Diego to spend three days in an enclosed space together? No thanks, you three have fun.”

“Alright.” Five’s eyes narrowed at how quickly she gave in. She never gave in quickly. Delores sighed and stood up to leave. Before she did, she leaned over and placed both hands on either side of his face. She got dangerously close and whispered softly into his ear, Melissa and Diego watched as the former assassin’s face turned a shade of red to match the hair of the woman whispering. Delores placed a quick kiss on his lips, stood back up and waited.   
Five swallowed hard, “Ok, I’m in.”

The next week was spent planning and shopping. The girls wanted to buy something nice for their Grandmother, Diego was put in charge of snacks and Five spent the week planning every possible route factoring in traffic, weather, population, and Commission interference. Delores told him he was being paranoid but left him to it. He also insisted that they rent a car to get there and fly back, stating some statistic about how exhausting vacations can be and how at the end, they won’t be as enthused about the drive home as they are about the journey there. When Diego sided with him, the women finally agreed.

When the day to leave finally came, they were wished good luck and safe travels by the rest of the family and headed out onto the open road. A few hours into the trip found Five driving and Diego in the passenger seat as the twins slept soundly in the back seat, each using the other for a pillow.

“So.” Five finally broke the silence. “Things are going good between you two I see.”  
“Yeah.” Diego fiddled with one of the few knives Melissa said he could bring. “She’s great.”  
“I have been meaning to tell you something about that.” Diego tensed, expecting the typical ‘treat her right’ conversation. He couldn’t be more wrong. “I know that you and I have never really been close and even when I was a kid I wasn’t the easiest to live with.”   
Diego muttered under his breath, “you can say that again.”  
Five shot him a side glance but ignored it. “I just wanted to take the time to say, that I respect your taste in women.”   
“Huh?”  
“You really have an eye for beauty…it’s a trait that isn’t held by many, and you truly have it.”  
Diego looked at his brother’s stupid grin. “Did you just make a joke?” Five’s smile went wider. “Shit…you DO have a sense of humor…do you need to pull over, lie down a bit?”  
“Alright, alright. The bitter old man doesn’t joke a lot…ha ha.” Diego shook his head and smiled. It was the most pleasant Five and he had been to each other in a while and he wanted to enjoy it. “But seriously,” The older/younger of them continued, “she’s really special. Going through what she went through and still coming out as the obnoxious ray of sunshine that she is…takes…something really unique. I hope you realize what you’ve got.”  
Diego looked out his window at the passing scenery and as he spoke, he wasn’t sure if it was to Five, or himself. “Yeah, I do.”

That night, Diego pulled the car into a small town that seemed to be more bustling than the population sign at the entrance suggested. “The hell?” He drove along street after street seeing people walking around like there’s some sort of carnival going on and when he finally saw a hotel, he pulled into the lot. Five hops out and the three remaining try to guess what is so exciting about this little town as he goes inside to get them some rooms. He plods back to the car and whips open the back door, plopping himself back next to Delores and snaps. “Shriner's convention.” Diego and Melissa nod their heads, Delores just looks at him confused. “What the hell is a Shriner?”  
“Fuck if I know. But I do know that they have booked every last room in the two decent hotels in this town. The clerk said we may have some luck at the place just outside of town but it’s the type of place that ‘rents rooms by the hour’, then he winked at me.”  
Diego sighed and looked at one of Five’s many maps. “Well, it’s here or we drive two hours to the next town and hope there’s no Shriners there.”  
“No way. I’m sure I’ve stayed at worse.” Five closed his eyes and let his head rest on the back of the seat.  
Melissa reached over and patted her boyfriend’s arm. “It’s only one night, I’m sure it’s not that bad.”  
Diego put the car in drive and headed out of town.

They pulled into the lot of the “Lovers Come Inn” and could hear snickering from the back seat. “Classy.” Delores chuckled and took Five by the hand. “Oooh, I bet they have mirrors on the ceiling. I’ve never tried that.”   
Five was out of the car before it even came to a complete stop and halfway to the office before Diego knew what the hell happened. A few minutes passed and he came back to the car, directing Diego to go park by door 7. He parked and the group got out and collected their bags from the trunk. Five pulled a key card out of his pocket and handed it to Diego before taking Delores’ hand.  
As they started to walk away, Diego called out after his brother. “Wait!”  
“Oh sorry…if you need us, we are in the honeymoon suite…” He turned back to give his brother a look of warning, “…Do not. Need. Us.”  
“No, I mean, wait…where’s Melissa’s key?”  
Five and Delores stopped in their tracks and turned to face a very red-faced Melissa trying to hide behind Diego. “It’s in your hand.”  
“So…where’s mine?”  
“Um.” Five looked to Delores and then back to his brother. “In your hand. Did you really need two? The guy at the counter only gave me one.”  
“You only got us one room?”  
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I…? Oh shit.”  
“Yeah.”  
“I just assumed; I mean…you’ve been together for 6 months. What the hell is the holdup?”  
“Five! Not everyone is an over sexed man-child like yourself.” Delores let his hand go and took a few steps to the other couple. “Sorry. I’m sure you can get another room.”  
“Nope.” Five shook his head.  
Diego silently cursed and read his brother’s expression. “Shriners?”  
“Shriners.”

Diego unlocked door 7 and he and Melissa step into a room that was last decorated sometime in the mid 60’s. The lime green shag carpet ran wall to wall and a few inches up to meet with large flower print wallpaper. Diego’s eyes immediately fell to the bed. It was a king size. “Shit.” He felt as though he stepped into a bad romantic comedy. Melissa, to her credit, pretended not to notice. “Do you need the bathroom? If not, I’m going to go change into my PJs.”   
He thought she was absolutely adorable when she said things like ‘PJs’ instead of pajamas. “No, go ahead.”

After closing the door, Melissa finally breathed a heavy sigh. She sat on the toilet and gave herself a moment before finally digging her pajamas out of her bag. After changing, she gave Diego a few more minutes before knocking on the door and calling out to him as she opened the bathroom door a crack, “are you decent?”  
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I’m dressed.”  
She stepped out to find him gathering one of the spare blankets and spreading it out across the floor. As he took a pillow off the bed, she scolded. “You’re being ridiculous.”  
“How’s that?” He turned to her and took in a sharp breath, hoping she didn’t notice. She was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top with a teddy bear on it and a pair of shorts that were barely peeking out from under the shirt. He thought to himself ‘well, that’s not fair.’  
She also took this time to assess the man in front of her. She knew he worked out, and she had seen him without a shirt many times either working out or going from the shower to his bedroom but now, seeing him in nothing but a pair of boxers, she felt as she was finally letting herself see how hot her boyfriend truly was. It wasn’t exactly fair.

“How many times have we fallen asleep on the couch together after watching a movie?”  
“Tons.”  
“So, what’s the difference?”  
Diego tilted his head and stared at her, his eyes getting a bit dark and his voice lowering just enough so she’d notice. “You know what the difference is.”  
She suddenly finds that her mouth is very dry, but she clears her throat and tries to sound confident. “Well, either way, you will be miserable for the rest of the trip if you sleep on the hard floor and then sit in a car for 8 hours.”  
He knew she was right. She was always right. He sighed and grabbed the pillow off the floor and tossed it back onto the bed. He sat down and propped himself up on the headboard as she rounded the other side of the bed and slipped in under the blankets.

Diego grabbed the remote and flicked on the tv. He immediately regretted his decision as the monitor came alive to the sights and sounds of a man and woman having sex. They were very loud and very enthusiastic. He fumbled with the remote and changed the channel only to find more porn. “Shit!” He turned off the tv and put the remote back on the bed stand as he turned beet red. Unable to look at her, he just muttered. “Maybe we should just talk then.”

“Ok.” Melissa sat up and shifted so she was facing him. “Let’s talk about why we haven’t had sex.”  
To say this caught him off guard was an understatement. He froze and suddenly the room felt very, very warm. He didn’t look at her, afraid of what he would see. “Um. I was waiting.”  
“For what?”  
“I know that you’ve never…” He finally looked at her just in time to see her eyes fall a bit. He wasn’t sure if it was in embarrassment of her inexperience or sadness at the life she never got to have until recently. “I thought you’d want to make the first move...w-w-w-when you were ready.”  
Melissa looked back up at him. He was surely an enigma. A rough and tumble fighter who would just as soon punch first and ask questions later, yet somewhere inside him was a gentle soul. He could be threatening to stab one of his siblings one moment and be holding her in a warm embrace in the next. Yes, he was an enigma, but he was her enigma. “You were wrong. But…” She crawled over to him and leaned so she was inches from her mouth touching his. “Since you brought it up…” She closed the distance and kissed him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, everyone piled out of the car and into a local diner. The place was full of hungover Shriners but the four managed to find a booth in the back. After the waitress took their orders, Five looked at Diego and chuckled. “It’s a good thing you guys didn’t take the honeymoon suite.”  
“Why’s that?”  
“It would have been wasted on you.” He sipped his coffee and ignored Delores poking his side to try to shut him up. “The bed was shaped like a heart…and it rotated!”  
“Yeah, that would have been a waste.” Diego halfheartedly said while sending Melissa a side glance that caused her to focus on her orange juice while trying not to smile. “Did you get your ceiling mirror?”  
“Yeah, but it wasn’t as great as I thought.”   
Delores piped in. “Yeah, he kept thinking someone else was in the room and getting in defensive mode. We ended up having to tack a blanket up there to cover it.”

They all fell into a comfortable silence when their food came and after eating, the group felt refreshed and ready for the road. Five and Delores got into the front and Diego and Melissa in the back. He climbed in and buckled his seat belt before sneaking his hand over, taking hers and smiling. She returned the smile and they basked in the fun of their little secret for as long as they could.

That night, they found a much nicer hotel in a much quieter town. Diego got out and headed to the front desk and checked the group in. When he got back, Five and the girls had already grabbed the bags and Diego tossed Five a key. He took Melissa’s hand and started walking in the opposite direction. Five wondered why their rooms aren’t near each other. “Where are you going?”  
Diego calls back without stopping. “Honeymoon suite.”  
Delores and Five are left staring at the figures of their siblings rushing down the hall. She looks at him and smiles. “You are quite the matchmaker…I’m going to have to start calling you Tinder.”  
“What’s Tinder?”  
“Oh my God, get a cell phone old man.” She picked up her bag and started toward their room. He followed her, reminding himself to start a list of things he was going to have to look up if he was to keep up with his girlfriend.


	4. Grandma

Several hours and a lunch break later, Melissa pulled the car into a cul-de-sac that was surrounded by four very nice houses with what she noticed were exquisitely manicured lawns. They pulled into the driveway written on their paper and before the car was even in park, a woman was coming out of the door, a wide grin plastered on her face.   
“Damn. Did your family leave any red for the rest of the world?”  
He wasn’t wrong. They all noticed that even though the woman was somewhere in her mid 70’s, she had bright red hair to match her granddaughters. The group piled out of the car and the woman rushed over and threw her arms around the first twin she could get…it was Melissa. 

“You’re here! I can’t believe it!” She let go of Melissa just long enough to latch onto Delores. “I mean I knew you were coming, but up until a week ago I didn’t know you even existed!” She let go and took a step back, admiring the girls. “I thought you died that day with your poor mother. That ass hole, oh forgive me…”  
“Oh no, don’t worry about it.” Delores winked at her grandmother. “He is an asshole.”  
“Well, he told me you didn’t make it. I never found out because I wanted nothing to do with him.” She finally registered that her grandchildren were not alone and asked, “And who is this handsome young man?”   
Delores took Five’s hand but before she could speak, the older woman’s eyes started to tear up. “Oh my God…I have a great grandson!”  
“No. Grandma,” Delores squeezed Five’s hand tighter. “This is my boyfriend, Five.”  
“Oh,” She looked at Diego. “I thought this was Five.”  
“Hm,” Five scoffed. “He wishes.”  
Melissa ignored him and spoke up. “This is my boyfriend, Diego. Five’s brother.”

“Well, all of you are welcome!” She started back up the walk to the house, motioning for them to follow. “I only have two guest rooms. I hope that’s enough. But now a days you kids are shacking up before marriage so I’m guessing two rooms is plenty!” Her tone stayed light and after setting them all up with rooms, they sat down to dinner. The night was filled with stories and jokes and Grandma being filled in on everything from their powers to why Delores’ boyfriend looked 19. She took it all pretty well, Five thought as she joked that she had twin granddaughters and one was nearly 30 while the other was almost her age.

The rest of the week went similarly. The girls really enjoyed their grandmother’s company and the guys just liked seeing Delores and Melissa happy. She was a kind woman who really knew how to roll with the punches of life and even got to get in a little jibe when she found out that she had a Facebook and Five didn’t.

When it was time for bed near the end of the week, she insisted that in celebration of this week of family bonding, that they all go out for a grand feast the following evening. She got very excited talking about taking the girls out shopping for new fancy outfits for the occasion and simply would not take no for an answer. Finally, they all relented, even Diego who said that he would have to go out and get a suit. Five reluctantly agreed to take him shopping while the girls had a day alone with their Grandmother and everyone went off to sleep.


	5. Five is full of surprises

The next day turned out to be one of the best days of Delores’ life. They went shopping for new dresses to wear for their fancy dinner, and Delores noticed that her Grandma seemed to be pushing them into something far fancier than what she was wearing and when she asked, Grandma said, “I just know that you never got to have a ‘girls day’ or really get to dress up for most of your lives. I want this to be special for you.” She leaned forward as if to share a secret. “And I want to see those boy’s jaws drop to the floor when they see you.” She winked and Delores laughed. It was fun to render Five speechless, even if only for a moment.

The rest of the day was filled with mani/pedis, gossip at the hair salon, and a stop at the jewelry store where Grandma had to pick something up. When she came out with a paper sack she just winked at them and said, “Let’s get home. Those boys of yours are probably worried we stood them up.”

Delores walked into their shared guest room to find Five already starting to get ready for their evening out. He was wearing jet black slacks and a light violet shirt. He was buttoning up the sleeves as she walked in and set her bags down on the bed. “Hey.”   
“Sorry we took so long. Grandma had to stop at the jewelry store for something…we got a bit sidetracked.”  
“No problem. I see your hair is already done…and stunning as always.” He smiled and she gave him a quick kiss before grabbing a bag and heading into the bathroom.   
“I will put on the dress to match the hair and be right out!”  
“I’ll be waiting.”

She rushed into the bathroom and dressed quickly. She stepped into the Purple cocktail dress that her Grandma insisted she buy. Seeing that Five was also wearing purple, she wondered if they didn’t talk before the shopping trip. She clasped her new necklace around the back and slipped into her heels before taking one last look in the mirror. “Yeah,” she whispered to herself. “He’s going to be speechless.”

She opened the bathroom door and gasped at what greeted her on the other side. It was Five. He was fully dressed, finishing the suit with a dark purple tie and black jacket. His shoes were impeccably polished, as always. She was used to seeing him dressed like this, but it wasn’t his clothes that gave her pause. It was the fact that he was down on one knee in front of the bathroom door, holding a small velvet box opened to display a simple ring.   
“Delores.” Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes welled up with tears as he continued. “Will you marry me?”  
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to get back some semblance of control over her emotions. She had wanted this for 45 years but knew that for most of that time, it wasn’t practical or even possible. Now, the time had come for it to be both possible and doable. She pulled her hands away from her face to place them on either side of his. “Yes. Of course I will.”

He jumped up so fast that she swears she saw a flash of blue. His lips were swiftly on hers and they attempted to kiss through smiles and giggles. Finally, he pulled back and took her left hand in his. He slid the ring on her finger, and she noticed that it wasn’t a typical diamond, but an emerald…the color he always said her eyes were. She stared at it for a moment and then leaned up to kiss him again, this time, gentler. He sighed into the kiss and seemed genuinely sad to break it. He took her hand in his and smirked. “You ready?”  
“As I’ll ever be.”  
He smiled at their inside joke and led her out of the bedroom to her next surprise.

As they walked down the hall, something finally clicked and Delores asked him, “Is this what Grandma was picking up from the jeweler?”  
“Nope.” He gripped her hand a bit tighter and pulled her closer when they reached the stairs. “I’ve had that in my pocket for about two months now. Just waiting for the right moment.”  
“And you figured the right moment was as I came out of a bathroom?” She chuckled as the got to the bottom of the stairs and her mouth dropped when she took in the room. 

The living room was packed. Grandma was there and of course so was Melissa and Diego, but as Delores looked around, she also saw Luther, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya. When her eyes met Klaus’, he motioned to a blank space next to him, indicating that Ben too, made the trip. They were all dressed in suits and dresses and Delores looked up at Five who was grinning back at her. “No, I figured the right moment was right before our wedding.”

“Our wedding?” Delores was absolutely gob smacked. She tried processing it all as she felt Melissa put a bouquet of flowers in her hand. The rest of the group started out back and when she felt Five start to lead her there as well, she stopped him. “Hey, what would you have done had I said no?”  
One corner of his mouth popped up and he grabbed a notebook off of a nearby end table. “I thought you’d ask that so you can study this later.” He handed her the notebook and she looked back in confusion. “It’s a probability map…I knew you’d say yes.”  
“You are such a nerd.”  
He let go of her hand just to offer her his elbow. “You ready?”  
She linked the arm not holding the flowers with his and smiled. “Let’s do it.”

When they enter the backyard, she was surprised to see it was decorated from top to bottom. There were chairs set up for their small amount of guests and flower petals scattered across the lawn, creating a walk for the couple to head down. Vanya stood off to the side and when the couple exited the house, she began to play the wedding march on her violin…it was beautiful. Delores leaned to whisper to Five. “You’ve been busy.”  
“Actually, I only made a phone call just over a week ago.” He motioned to her Grandmother. “She’s been busy.”  
Delores mouthed a ‘thank you’ to her Grandmother as Five walked her down the aisle. It was then that she noticed who they were walking to. “Five…”  
“I know, I know. They drew straws to find out who was going to get ordained…I’m sorry.”

They reached the makeshift altar, which was a music stand adorned with flowers and when their “minister” made a gesture, all the guests sat down. Five closed his eyes and expected the worst when Klaus started to speak.

“It is my great honor to be joining these two in the bonds of matrimony. It is not often that one finds their soul mate at the age of 13, but leave it to my brother, the over achiever to do just that.” There was a chuckle from the crowd, and he continued. “These two have a unique perspective on love that most of us could only dream of having. They have already lived a lifetime together and now; they are about to live another one by each other’s side. If spending 45 years together and then willingly promising to spend another 45 isn’t love…I don’t know what is.” Five’s eyes opened and he relaxed when he realized that…Klaus was really nailing this. “Do we have rings?”  
Delores’ eyes went wide, and she scrunched up her face as she watched Five turn around and take something from Luther. He turned back to her and grinned, nodding his head for her to turn around. She found herself face to face with Melissa who handed her a gold wedding band. She took it and turned back to Five. “This is what your grandma was picking up at he jeweler.” He whispered as he took her hand and followed Klaus’ directions. 

After the ring exchange, Klaus continued. “Now, if anyone has a reason why these two should not be joined, please keep it to yourself as the groom can be a bit homicidal at times.” He smiled a toothy grin and then addressed the couple. “Now, by the power vested in me by the Church of Love at www.marryyourfriends.com,”   
Five looked at his brother in frustration. “Really?”  
“Hey, you said quick and legal…this fits both requirements.” Delores held back a laugh as Klaus finished. “I now pronounce you Husband, and Wife…you may kiss the bride.!” 

Delores turned to face Five. He didn’t move, he simply looked at her. She held her breath for a moment, just taking in the fact that they were actually married. The couple just stared for a few moments before their ‘minister’ broke the spell. “Um, I said kiss the bride genius!”  
Five seemed to be freed from his trance and he stepped closer, placing his lips on hers. It started off gentle but once she leaned into it all bets were off. They seemingly forgot that there were people in the room and only were reminded when Klaus let out a whoop and the rest of the room started cheering.

Delores was truly impressed at how much they got done without her knowledge. There was a grand dinner, music (courtesy of Allison’s ipod), and even a wedding cake. She found herself zoning out while having her second piece of cake when she felt someone appear next to her. Five leaned in and whispered into her ear. “Surprised?”  
“Beyond surprised.”  
She looked at him and instead of the smug look she expected, she was greeted with something rarely seen in her now husband…worry.  
“Is it ok?”  
She sighed and put the plate down to take his hands in hers. “Oh babe, it’s perfect.”   
He seemed to relax at that and smiled. He kissed her on the cheek and said, “the surprises aren’t quite over yet.” 

He dropped one of her hands and kept the other, using it to lead them through the small living room past their family. When they reached the front door, he took her bouquet off the table and handed it to her. “Better throw this before we leave.”  
“Leave? Where are we going?”  
“The airport. Our flight leaves in a few hours and we have to factor in time to get through security, check our bags…”  
Delores cut him off. “Our flight isn’t until tomorrow.”  
“No.” She suddenly noticed that their family was standing behind her, waiting patiently to see them off. “Their flights all leave tomorrow. Our’s is tonight. We’re going on our honeymoon.”

At this point nothing should shock her about this day. She simply shook her head and smiled at her husband and gave a quick glance backward before tossing the flowers over her shoulder. There was a loud thud and a few gasps and when Delores looked back, she found Melissa standing with her arms wide open and to her right the bouquet was firmly stuck in the wall with a thrown knife. All eyes turned to Diego who just shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry about that. I panicked.”

Five and Delores made their way to a waiting taxi as everyone shouted out their congratulations and gave out more hugs than Five was comfortable with. When they were finally alone, she turned to him and softly caressed his cheek with her hand, the emerald shining as he leaned into it. “You are definitely getting better at this romance thing.”  
“Well, I have some good motivation.” He kissed her and she spent the rest of the cab ride trying to guess where he was taking her.


	6. The Honeymoon AKA Delores has a surprise of her own

Delores stood by the patio door of their rented cabin as Five tipped the bellman for delivering their bags. She stared out of the glass doors at the beach outside and knew that this surprise was the one that Five would be most proud of. He closed the door and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her front.

“Do you remember when we were about 22 and we decided that we would go to the ocean? Neither of us had ever seen it so we thought, ‘what the hell?’” She sighed and leaned back into him as he continued. “We packed up the wagon and I walked for nearly 6 hours to get there.”  
“It was awful.”  
“The water was boiling and so polluted that we couldn’t even get near it.”  
“You were devastated.”  
“I was, but do you remember what you said to me?”  
Delores always tried to suppress that memory as she didn’t like to remember times when Five was sad. “I don’t…”  
“You told me that it was alright, that you only wanted to come back when you could walk in on your own two feet and wade in the water.”  
“I remember.”  
Five turned her around to face him. “Well, we’re back. And now you can wade in on your own two feet.”  
She smiled. “Well then what are we waiting for?”

They spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, laying on the beach and making love in the cool cotton sheets of their king size bed. Delores was curled up by his side as he lazily drew mindless patterns up and down her back. She slowly looked up at him. “Any more surprises?”  
He laughed a bit and put his hands up defensively. “No. I am completely out.”  
“Good.” She looked deep into his eyes and tried to keep her voice even. “Because I have one, and I was just waiting my turn.”  
“Ok.”  
She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “I’m pregnant.”

The End


End file.
